Doyle McManus: As cliff nears, Norquist is becoming a has-been

5:14 PM,
Nov. 23, 2012

Doyle McManus

Written by

Doyle McManus
Los Angeles Times

It once seemed as if Washington's most powerful anti-tax crusader had the Republican Party firmly in hand. Signing Norquist's public pledge not to raise taxes was almost mandatory in GOP politics. Nine of the 10 candidates initially vying for the Republican presidential nomination, including Mitt Romney, signed on, as did candidates for local, state and national office.

Some of them even signed Norquist's vow in public ceremonies, then gave him the originals to store in the vault of his group, Americans for Tax Freedom. The best signatures went on the ...